Machine for charging annealing furnaces and the like



Jan. 1v4, 1936. H. Bu/cK Er AL MACHINE FOR CHARGING ANEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE Filed Maren 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Haw awa AND IlllmLiIlw.. I f..

Jan. 14, 1936. H. BUCK Erm. 2,028,045

MACHINE Fon CHARGING ANNEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www@ Patented Jan. 14, 1936 PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR CHARGING ANNEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE Homer Buck and Harvey W. Ball, Alliance, Ohio,

assignors to The Morgan Engineering Coinpany, Alliance, Ohio Application March 4, 1935, Serial No. 9,310.

6 Claims.

' This invention relates to improvements in machines for charging annealing furnaces and the like and more particularly toimprovements inthe charging machine disclosed in the application of Harvey W. Ball, Serial No. 6357, filed February 13, 1935.

In the machine disclosed in said application, a pair of trucks are employed and theyr are adapted to be moved into and out of a furnace. Each truck includesl an elongated wheel-supported body provided with elevating platforms, and motor-driven means comprising worm gearing is employed for raising and lowering the platforms. The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide novel means for raising and lowering the platforms from a prime mover which means is believed to be superior to the one disclosed in said application.

The general arrangement of the new charging machine and its functioning is the same as the one shown and described in said application, the only difference being that the mechanism for raising and lowering the load is of a different design and one which we believe will prove cheaper to produce and perhaps more practical in operation than the one disclosed in said application.

With the foregoing object outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

and more particularly pointed out in the appendl To facilitate illustration we have shown only Y one of the trucks, but as disclosed in said application, two of these trucks are used in the actual machine and they are moved simultaneously in andY out of a charging furnace not` shown.

Referring to the drawings, I designates` an elongated truck body carried by wheels 2 which roll on tracks not shown. A horizontal rack 3 depends from the body and engages a pinion 4,

having a fixed axis,` and designed t0 move the truck into and out of the furnace. The truck is Vconstructed. to support annealing pans or boxes 1 carried by elevating platforms 8. Each truck is preferably provided with a plurality of such platform and they move vertically in wells or guide ways 8a.

`For the purpose of operating the platforms the truck has a primev mover 9 equipped with suitable reduction gearing not illustrated, and driving a screw III. Thisscrew is'in threaded engagement with a nut II that is moved back and forth longitudinally of the truck by the screw, and the nut operates links I2 which connect the nut to a horizontal rack I3. The rack I3 has gear teeth I3a arranged at suitable places along the underside` of the rack for the purpose of operating pinions I 4 mounted on rotatable cross shafts I6 carried by suitable bearings I6a.

positioned at opposite sides of the truck. Each .pinion ldhas oppositely disposed eccentric-hubs Illa which engage anti-friction bearings I5 arranged in rings I5a upon which the platforms 8 rest. Obviously when the rack I3 is moved in the proper direction the pinions I4 will turn and their hubs I4a will cooperate with the rings I5a to lift the platforms. Horizontal rollers I9, as best shown in Fig. 5,

extend transversely of the truck body and are' mounted in anti-friction bearings I9a. The central portion I9b of these rollers bear upon the rack I3 to keep it in engagement with the pinions I4, and the end portions of these rollers extend through vertical slots |90.

In operation it will be understood that when the movement of the nut II causes the gears I4 to rotate, a vertical movement is imparted to the lifting tables 8 which directly bear upon the rings I5a which house the bearings I5. When the pans I or the like are lifted in this manner they may be carried into a furnace in a raised position and lowered on to the furnace piers. The lifting tables being lowered further by conr tinuing the same movement will clear the pans 'I and the charger can then be racked out of the furnace on to the transfer car, not shown. The lifting tables are then at a suitable elevation to pass under other annealing pans on the storage platforms and by operating the mechanism, described above, the lifting tables will be raised again to the necessary height for carrying them into the furnace.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages and the invention may be readily' understood by those skilled in the art and we are aware that changes Y may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

VWhat is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A charging machine for furnaces comprising a wheel-supported truck, an elevating platform carried by the truck, a vgear mounted in the truck 'for' rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the truck, eccentric means movable with the gear for raising and lowering said platform, a longitudinally movable rack meshing with the gear for operating the latter, and means for limiting the upward movement of the rack away from said gear.

2. A charging machine for furnaces comprising a wheel-supported truck, a lifting platform carried by the truck, a rotatable gear mounted in the truckrfor movement about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the truck, eccen- 'Ytric means movable with the gear for raising and lowering the platform, a longitudinally mov- YableY rack for Vactuating the gear, and rolling means for limiting the upward movement of the rack away from the gear.

- 3. A charging machine for furnaces comprising a wheel-supported truck adapted to be moved into and out of a furnace, an elevating platform carried by the truck, horizontal cross shafts mounted in the truck, gears mounted on said shafts, each gear having oppositely extending eccentric hubs operatively engaging the platform for operating the latter, a rack engageable with the gears, means for maintaining said rack in engagement with said gears, and means for moving the rack longitudinally.

4. A charging machine for furnaces comprising a wheel-supported truck adapted to be moved into and out of a furnace, an elevating plat'- form'carried by the truck, horizontal cross shafts mounted in the truck, gears mounted on said shafts, each gear having oppositely extending eccentric hubs operatively engaging the platform for operating the latter, a rack engageable with the gears, means for actuating the rack, and rollers passing through the platform and `bearing upon the rack for limiting the upward movement of the rack.

5. In a machine of the character described,

Va wheel-supported truck, an elevating platform mounted on the truck, horizontal cross shafts supported by the truck, gears mounted on the cross shafts, each gearing having oppositely disposed eccentric hubs on which the platform rests, a rack engaging said gears for actuating the same, a prime mover carried by the truck,

means for actuating the rack from said prime mover, said platform being provided with slots, and rollers journaled in bearings on the truck, passing through said slots and engaging said rack for limiting upward movement of the rack.

vtransmission means arranged within the body and operatively connecting the motor to said gears for raising the platform by the operation of the motor.

HOMER BUCK, HARVEY W. BALL. 

